Car-wheel.



Nn. `687,454. Patente Nuv. 26, |90!` L. n. nFAUGHT.

CAR WHEEL.

(Application med se'pc. 25, 1901.)

(No Model.)

FIGB

"'llI "I y f" j@ UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

LUTHER R. FAUGHT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-WH EEL.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent N0. 687,454, datedNovember 26, 1901.

L Application filed September 25, 1901. Serial No. 76,450. (No model.)

VTo @ZZ whom t 1v1/ty concern:

t lates to railroad-car wheels of the type ordinarily known as loosewheels, which are mounted upon their axles with the capacity of rotationindependently thereof, but is equally applicableVV in connection withsupporting or carrying Wheels, either flanged or fiat, of various otherdescriptions-es, for example, those employed in overhead trolleys andconveyers,warehouse and factory trucks, scales, and other vehicles 'ormovable structures.

My present invention is an improvement upon that for which LettersPatent'of the United States No. 321,590 were granted and issued to meunder date of July 7, 1885; and its object is to provide means forattaining a more perfect performance of the functions of the inventionof said Letters Patent-. e., those of maintaining a loose wheel innormal position upon its axle and enabling proper lubrication of thebearing-surfaces of the wheel to be effected, for preventing impairmentof the normal action of the parts when the wheel and axle become worn,and for presenting a materially-increased area of bearing-surface in theconnecting members of the wheel and axle.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the construction set forth in Letters Patent No. 321,590 aforesaidthewheel is held in position longitudinally upon the axle by means of aninsertible and removable connecting member7 termed a keyblock, whichfits in a recess or socket in the wheelhub and engages an adjacentgroove turned in the axle, the key-block being passed into the wheelthrough the central bore or opening through which theV hub its aroundthe axle and after being engaged with the hubsocket and axlegroove beingsecured and held in such operative position by a locking screw or pin.While this construction has been found in an extended practice tosatisfactorily perform the functions for which it was designed, it willbe seen that the connecting key-block is necessarily subject to astructu ral restriction in its size whether the wheel be of the open orclosed hub type, inasmuch as it cannot in any dimension be permitted toexceed the diameter of the bore of the hub, through which only it can beintroduced into the wheel. This restriction of the dimensions of thekey-block involves a corresponding limitation of the area of itsbearing-surfaces on the-axle-groove, which area to obtain the niosteffective results should be made as large as practicable.

My present invention provides a key-block which, as hereinafterexplained, is not introduced through the bore of the wheel-hub and whichwhen once installed in the hub is never removed therefrom and thedimensions of which are therefore not limited by the diameter of thebore. The increased area of bearing-surface of the key-block on theaxlegroove which is made available by my improvedconstruction materiallyenhances the edectiveness and durabilityof the connecting members.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an axial section through acar-wheel with the axle thereof in elevation, illustrating anapplication of my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical transverse sectionthrough the same on the line a a of Fig. l with the key-block locked inoperative position; Fig. 3, a similar section with the key-blockreleased to permit of theiusertion or removal of the axle into or fromthe wheel-hub; Fig. 4, a section similar to that of Fig. 2, showing theapplication of two key-blocks; Fig. 5, a front view of the key-blockdetached, and Fig. 6 an edge or side view of the same.

My invention is herein exemplified as applied in connection with acar-wheel which is substantially similar to that shown in Letters PatentNo. 321,590 aforesaid-that is to say, one which is mounted and rotatesfreely upon a plain cylindrical axle l, which is devoid of theusualraised collars and has an annular groove or recess 2 formed peripherallyupon it-adjacent to its ends. The hub 3 of the wheel is bored out to fitfreely on the axle and is preferably closed entirely at its outer end,forming thereat on its inner side IOO a transverse `bearing-surface 4,which abuts against the end of the axle. An oil chamber or reservoir 5is formed Within the hub '3, communicating with the central borethereof, and is adapted to be supplied with lubricant through an openingwhich is closed by a suitable removable plug, which may either be thelocking-screw presently to be described or a plug specially provided forthe purpose. The arms 6 and rim 7 of the Wheel are ofthe usualconstruction.

The wheel is under my present invention maintained in normal positionlongitudinally upon the axle and its lateral movement thereon preventedby a key-block 8, which is preferably formed ofeast-steel and which isdistinguished from that of Letters Patent No. 321,590 in the essentialand material structural particulars of being hinged or pivotallyconnected to the wheel-hub (in lieu of being held therein asagainstlateraldisplace` ment by side guides or stops) and of presentinga substantially greater area of bearing-surface for contact with thehub-axle bearingsurfaees than is obtainable with the construction ofLetters Patent No. 321,590.

, The capability of employinga key-b1ock possessing the characteristicsabove stated, as more fully hereinafter described, is resultant u'pon anovelmanner of installing it in the wheel-hub, the same consisting insetting and supporting it in connection with a proper system of coresand vents in a mold and casting the wheel around it, the keyblock beingthereby inclosed in the wheel 'when cast in proper position to engagethe groove 2 of the axle when the latter is inserted in the wheel. Themethod of locating the key-block in the Wheel and the mold in which itis practiced, as above generally indicated, are not claimed as of mypresent invention and Will constitute the subject-matter of separateapplications tobe tiled in due mme.

The key-block 8 is in the form of a segment of a ring of substantiallyrectangular crosssection and of such thickness as to fit Within theaxle-groove 2. Its inner surface is curved to fit over the neck la ofthe axle, (which is that portion thereof at the bottom of the groove 2,)and it is provided at one end with an eye Se, `which fits on a pivot 3C,cast in the hub by the metal flowing in toform the same, and at theother end with a klocking arm or dog 8d, which is so located as to restwhen the key-block is in operative position against a locking screw orpin 9, which passes through anv opening in the hub and engages a femalethread in a rib 3a, extending from the central portion of the hub to theshell or outer wall thereof. When the key-block is brought into positionto engage the axle-groove and the locking-screw is inserted, as shown inFig. 2,

' the key-block is held as against lateral displacement from theaxle-groove and the axle cannot be Withdrawn from the Wheel. TheWithdrawal of the locking-screw permits the .locking-screw 9.

key-block to be swung outwardly by gravity on vits pivot 3c, in whichposition, as shown in Fig. 3,`th'e axle may be inserted in or removedfrom the wheel-hub, as desired. The locking-screw 9 serves also as anoil-hole plug and should be provided with a suitable packer ll toYprevent leakage.

The key-block 8 is preferably, as show-n, cored out in such manner as toprovide alongitudinal recess or space 8 in its body, which recess isopen at each of its ends. This space is formed in the key-block for thepurposes of lighteningitand of affording a lateral vent from the vouterportion of the key-block to the main central vent of the mold in castingthe wheel around the key-block.

As shown in Fig. 4, two 'key-blocks may, if desired, be employed, thesebeing oppositely located andeach held in place bya separate It will beseen that in such case bearing-surfaces are provided which ex- Theconnection of the Wheel and axle is effected by turning the wheel intoposition in which the key-block pivot 3c Will stand below the center,when the key-block will drop outward sufficiently far to clear the boreof the hub. The axle is then inserted and the wheel rotated Vuntilpthekey-block pivot is brought a short distance above the center, when itwill drop into the axle-groove 2, and is then secured in such operativeposition by the locking-screw 9. By corresponding operations in reverseorder the wheel and axle may be disconnected and the Wheel removed fromthe axle when desired.

It will be seen that by reason of the novel form and manner of holdingthe key-block in the hub and of the fact that its dimensions are not, asin that of Letters Patent No. 321,590, limited by the diameter of thebore of the hub a substantial increase of the area of thebearing-surfaces of the key-block on the sides of the axle-groove and onthe adjoining faces of the hub is made practicable. The large area ofbearing-surface is of substantial advantage in practice in insuring thefirm connection of the wheeland axle with the can paeityof independentmovement and in maintaining such firm connection under the general Wearwhich occurs during the life of the Wheel and axle. This Wear causes thebore of the hub to become larger and the bearingsurface of the axlesmaller, which discrepancy proportionately reduces the bearing-surfaceon the axle-groove. The ample bearing-surface which is providedby mypresent invention prevents any substantial impairment of the connectedrelation of the wheel and axle by the Wear above referred to. It willfurther be obvious to those skilled in the art that While my inventionhas been herein set forth as applied in connection With Wheels havinghubs which are closed at their outer ends it is equally applicable inopen-endedhub Wheels and also that when applied in a IOO IIO

wheel of such character the opening in the end of the hub may, ifdesired, be closed by a cap or plug.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Thecombination of an axle having an annular groove, a wheel mounted freelyon said axle, a key-block pivoted in the body of the Wheel-hub andengaging the groove of the axle, and a locking pin or screw engaging theWheel-hub and retaining the key-block in the groove of the axle.

2. TheV combination of an axle having an annular groove, a wheel mountedfreely on said axle, and having a pivot in the body of its hub adjacentto the groove of the axle, a key-block journaled on said pivot andVibratable about the axis thereof into and out of the groove of theaxle, and alocking pin or screw engaging the Wheel-hub and retaining thekey-block in the groove of the axle.

3. The combination of an axle having an annular groove, a Wheel mountedfreely on said axle and having two pivots oppositely located in the bodyof its hub adjacent to the groove of the axle, two key-blocks, eachjournaled on one of said pivots and vibratable about the axis thereofinto and out of the groove of the axle, and two locking pins or screws,each engaging the hub adjacent to the free end of one of the key-blocksand retaining said key-block in position.

4. The combination of an axle having an annular groove, a Wheel mountedfreely on said axle and having a pivot in the body of its hub adjacentto the groove of the axle, a key-block journaled at one end on saidpivot and having a locking dog lor projection adjacent to its oppositeend, and a locking pin or screw engaging the' Wheel-hub in position tocontact with the locking-dog.

5. The combination of an axle having an annular groove, a wheel mountedfreely on said axle and having a pivot in the body of its hub adjacentto the screw of the axle, a key-block in which is formed an internalopenended recess or space and which is journaled on said pivot andvibratable about the axis thereof into and out of the groove of theaxle, and a lookin g pin or screw engagingthe Wheelhub and retaining thekey-block in the groove of the axle.

6. The combination of an axle having an annular groove, a Wheel mountedfreely on said axle and having a pivot in the body of its hub adjacentto the groove of the axle, a segment-formed key-block journaled at oneend on said pivot and having lateral bearingsurfaces adapted to abutagainst bearing-surfaces on the groove of the axle and on the hub, and alocking pin or screw engaging the Wheelhub and retaining the key-blockin the groove of the axle.

LUTHER R. FAUGHT.

Witnesses:

IsAAo M. YOUNG,

GEO. W. CLEMENT.

